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Shops caught out with police booze operation
FOUR licensed premises in the Harborough area and town centre served alcohol to a girl who was under the legal age of 18.
Police carried out a test purchasing operation in Harborough on Tuesday, December 20, last year and four out of 13 shops failed the test.
Accompanied by a representative of Harborough District Council, who oversees licensees in the district, and several members of the police, the operation involved sending an underage girl into shops to try to buy alcohol.
Sgt Mark Williams who was part of the operation said the figures were good considering there is not a campaign at the moment in place to crack down on serving underage customers.
The shops that failed the test were Lidl in Kettering Road, B & M Bargains in The Commons car park, Keya News in Logan Street and Mercury News in High Street, Fleckney.
Advice was given to the managers of the shops that failed and in all but one instance a fine of £80 was given to the person who served the alcohol.
The maximum fine for selling alcohol to someone under the age of 18 is £5,000, and personal alcohol licenses can also be suspended or removed.
A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said: “Generally, in the first case of a shop failing to check ID, a fixed penalty notice of £80 is given to them and further advice is given to the shopkeeper or manager.
“If the same shop is caught again within 12 months, the repercussions can be more serious and if a shop fails three times, then the license can be taken away - which could have major consequences on someone’s livelihood.”
During the operation, officers sent an underage girl, who was paid for her participation, into the shops to attempt to buy alcohol. Officers kept any alcohol sold as evidence.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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